Air-compressing apparatus.



N0. 635,4I9. Patented 001. 24, I899.

v S. BRUICHGANS. AIR GOMPBESSING APPARATUS.

I (Applicatidn filed Oct. 10,4898.

(No Model.)

Ya: noams PETERs co PHDTO-LITNO, WASHINGTON, n c

UNrrnn STATES tries.

PATENT AIR-COMPRESSING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,419, dated. October24, 1899.

Application filed October 10, 1898. Serial No. 693,102. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, STEPHAN BROIOHGANS, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAir-Oompressing Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention is especially designed for use in connection with anatural-gas supply to aerate and increase pressure of the fluid or asmeans for converting liquid hydrocarbon into inflammable gas underpressure; and said invention consists in certain peculiarities ofconstruction and combination of parts constituting a simple economicalautomatic apparatus for compressing air and temporarily storing theproduct whether it be mixed with inflammable fluid or otherwise, thisapparatus being hereinafter particularly described with reference to theaccompanying drawing and subsequently claimed.

v The drawing represents an elevation of my air compressing and storingapparatus,partly in section.

Referring by letter to the drawing, A represents a closed tank having acentral chamber B, that rises from its bottom, the lower end of thechamber being perforated. The dimensions of the tank and chamber thereinare such that space is formed between their vertical walls for a volumeof water that being run into said tank through a pipe b finds its wayinto said chamber through the perforations at lower end of same, thischamber being provided with a vent-hole c, that permits ascent of saidwater to the elevation shown. Owing to a difference in height of thetank and chamber therein the water-level in one will be higher than inthe other, as herein shown, and the water in the chamber is a reservesupply that compensates for loss of that outside said chamber byevaporation or otherwise.

The chamber B is provided with a central vertical tube 0, open at itsupper end, Where it joins the otherwise closed top of said chamber, andthis tube is made fast to the tankbottom, through which it extends. Asherein shown, the tube- C may be screw-threaded and have nuts runthereon against the inner and outer sides of the tank-bottom. V

The upper end of tube 0 is provided with a guide-spider d for a rod D,and the latter extends down through a stuffing-box at the lower end ofsaid tube. The upper end of the rod is made fast to the top of aweighted open bottom jacket E, surrounding the chamberB in the tank Aaforesaid. As a matter of detail the jacket may consist of a sheet-metalbody having an inturned upper flange between a pair of metallic platesthat weight said jacket, this construction being herein shown. The lowerend of the rod is for connection with a motor that operates to elevatethe jacket E, and, as herein shown, the motor may comprise a piston F onthe lower end of said rod, a cylinder G, containing the piston, a valvemechanism controlling inlet and exhaust of fluid under pressure withrespect to the cylinder, and automatic valve-shifting mechanism.

In detail the cylinder G is herein shown as having the lower end thereofin communication with a casing H, having its ends in union with aninlet-pipe I and an outlet-pipe I for water or other fluid underpressure, it being practical to have said inlet-pipe in connection witha city water-service system. A disk J in the casing H is provided withdiametrically opposite wrist-pins in connection with stems of valves KK, that control the inlet and outlet pipes pertaining to said casing. Inconnection with disk .I, central of the same, is a weighted lever Loutside of casing H, and in pivotal connection with the lever is a rodM, that extends up through a stationary guide 6, this rod being providedwith a vertically-adjustable beveled catch f for engagement with ahook-latch g at the lower end of another rod N in pivotal connectionwith the outer end of a lever P, that is fulcrumed on a bracket h,extending from the upper end of the aforesaid cylinder, a stop 2' beingarranged to limit tilt of said lever in one direction. The inner end ofthe lever is provided with a longitudinal socket for a spring-controlledbevel-point slide j, operative in conjunction with a bevel-collar it onthe rod D aforesaid. A link m connects the lever P (between fulcrum andouter end) with the inner end of another weighted lever-Q, and apull-rod R, loose in a stationary guide 71, connects the latch-rod Nwith a bell-crank S in the path of a trip-rod T in connection with aholder U, hereinafter more particularly described.

Inside of tank A is a vertical flue V, extending above the water-level,and in union with the lower end of this flue is a pipe V, that dependsinto a water seal XV, said pipe being provided with an air-inletgoverned by a eheck-valve 1). Another pipe 0, shown in connectionwith'tuhe C, also depends into the Water seal W and is provided with anair-inlet governed by a check-valve Leading from the top of the waterseal is a pipe 1', that extends into a closed receptacle X and isprovided with perforations adjacent to the bottom of said receptacleinside the same. A conical deflector s is arranged over the upper end ofpipe 0 and extends up through an opening in another deflector t in theupper portion of the aforesaid receptacle.

A pipe Y in union with the top of receptacle X may be part of a conduitembodying the pipe Y, shown extending up into the holder U aforesaid, orthese pipes may be in connection with an interposed gas and air mixingchamber or a carbureter, as circumstances may require, provision beinghad in practice to prevent return of air or aerated gas under pressurefrom said holder through said conduit.

The holder U is an open-bottom shell having a central sleeve U, thatsurrounds a central vertical tube Z of a tank Z, in which said shell isarranged, this tank being partially filled with water.

The above-described trip-rod T has loose play in the central tubularportion Z of tank Z and is made fast to the top of holder U, pipe Y anda distributer-pipe Y being extended up through the bottom of said tankto an elevation above the water-line within said holder.

The parts above specified being in the arrangement shown, continueddescent of the holder U to expel compressed air or aerated gas underpressure through pipe Y will cause rod T to actuate bell-crank S,whereby pullrod R, operating on latch-rod N, will free the latter fromcatch fon rod M, thus permitting gravity descent of lever L (shown bydotted lines) to shift the valves K K in the casing II, that constitutespart of the motor herein specifically set forth. The outlet-pipe I ofeasing H having been closed and the inletpipe of said casing opened byshift of valves K K, the inflow of fluid under pressure will be exertedon piston F to elevate the jacket E in the tank A of the apparatus. Asthis jacket moves up it displaces air in tank A and forces this air outthrough the flue V and pipe V into the water seal \V, from which itescapes into receptacle X to pass on through pipe Y, condensation ofexcess moisture deflected and caught in said receptacle finding its wayback through the perforations of pipe 0' into said waterjseal. In themeantime air is drawn in through the valve-controlled inlet of pipe O bythe suction exerted on the part of the aforesaid jacket, and upon ascentof the rod D the bevel-collar 7a thereon operates against slidej to tiltlevers P Q, as shown by dotted lines, this tilt permitting arcengagement of the latch-rod with the catch f, as is also shown bydotted lines. The rod-collar 7c having passed away from the slidej,there will be automatic reverse tilt of lever Q to cause a return oflevers L P and parts in connection therewith to original position,Whereby the valves K K are again shifted to close the inlet and open theoutlet pipes of the cylinder G, whereby the piston F in said cylinder isfree to descend under the weight of the aforesaid jacket, the airpreviously drawn into the latter being forced out through tube G andpipe 0 into the water seal 7, from whence it escapes through receptacleX and pipe Y free of excess moisture. Descent of jacket E exerts asuction that draws air in through the valve-controlled inlet of pipe Vto fill tank A above its water-level.

Incidental to reciprocation of jacket E air or aerated gas isforcedthrough pipe Y into holder U, and ascent of the latter causes lift oftrip-rod T away from bell-crank S previous to the time that rod-collaroperates against slide j on upstroke of the aforesaid piston. On descentof the piston the rod-collar operating against slidejretracts the latterand is thus afforded clearance.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. An air-compressing apparatus comprising aelosed tank provided with aliquid-inlet, an air-conduit open to the tank above the liquid-leveltherein but provided with an air-inlet outside of said tank governed bya checkvalve, a central chamber rising from the tankbottom but providedwith perforations at its lower end, another air-conduit having openendunion with the otherwise closed top of the chamber and provided outsidethe aforesaid tank with an air-inlet governed by a check-valve, anopen-bottom jacket surrounding said chamber, and means for reciprocatingthe jacket.

2. An air-compressing apparatus comprising a closed tank provided withaliquid-inlet, an air-conduit open to the tank above the liquid-leveltherein but provided with an air-inlet outside of said tank governed bya checkvalve, a central chamber rising from the tankbottom but providedwith perforations at its lower end, another air-conduit having openendunion with the otherwise closed top of the chamber and provided outsidethe aforesaid tank with an air-inlet governed by a cheelcvalve, anopen-bottom jacket surrounding said chamber, means for reciprocating thejacket, and a reciprocative holder having communication with theair-conduits and a distributer-pipe.

3. An air-forcing mechanism, a reciproezu ICC tive holder consisting ofan open-bottom shell in a tank partially filled with liquid and providedwith a central vertical tube, supply and distributer pipes extendingthrough the tankbottom to an elevation above the liquid-level within theshell, a sleeve central of said shell surrounding the tank-tube, a roddepending from the top of the shell-top and guided in said tank-tube, afluid-pressure motor having a piston in rod connection with theair-forcing mechanism, valves controlling the inlet and discharge of themotor, and valve-shifting mechanism operative in conjunction with therod' depending from the aforesaid shell.

4. An air-compressing mechanism comprising a closed tank provided with aliquid-inlet, an air-conduit open to the tank above the liquid-leveltherein, but provided with an air-inlet outside of said tank governed bya checkvalve, a central chamberrising from the tankbottom but providedwith perforations at its lower end, another air-conduit having openendunion with the otherwise closed top of the chamber and provided outsidethe afore said tank with an air-inlet governed by a check-valve, anopen-bottom weighted jacket surrounding said chamber, a cylinder havingvalve-controlled inlet and outlet for a fluid under pressure, a pistonin the cylinder, a rod connecting the jacket and piston, a reciprocativeholderin communication with the airconduits and a distributer-pipe, anda valveshifting mechanism operative in conjunction with the piston-rodand said holder.

5. An air-compressing apparatus comprising a motor consisting of acylinderprovided with valve-controlled inlet and outlet for fluid underpressure, a piston in the cylinder, having rod connection with areciprocative element of the apparatus, and a mechanism consisting of aweighted lever in connection with the valves, a vertical lift-rod inpivotal connection with said lever, a catch on the rod, another leverprovided at one end with springcontrolled slide, a collar on thepiston-rod cooperative with the slide, a latch-rod in connection withthe latter lever for engagement with said catch, a weighted lever linkedto the one provided with said slide, a pull-rod engaging the latch-rod,a bell-crank inconnection with the pull-rod, and a trip-rod for thebell-crank depending from a reciprocative holder for the compressed air.

6. An air-forcing mechanism comprisinga closed tank provided with aliquid-inlet, an air-conduit open to the tank above the liquidleveltherein but provided with an outside air-inlet governed by acheck-valve, a chamber rising from the tank-bottom but provided withperforations at its lower end, another air-conduit having open-end unionwith the otherwise closed top of the chamber and provided with anoutside air-inlet governed by a check-valve, an open-bottom jacketsurrounding said chamber, a cylinder having valvecontrolled inlet andoutlet for a fluid under pressure, a piston in the cylinder in rodconnection with said jacket, and valve-shifting mechanism operative inconjunction with a reciprocative element of the apparatus.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wis cousin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

STEPHAN BROIOHGANS.

Witnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, H. H. MEIXsELL.

